The one and only
by Ed Black
Summary: Goku comes back from his battle with Freezer a changed man. Bulma suggests a trip to new nameck might be just the vacation they all need. There is trouble on the way there and they are forced to land on a tiny planet that is supposed to be uninhabited.
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
Freezer was dead the universe had rejoiced. Now things where settling back in to familiar patterns. Everyone went on like nothing had ever happened, exiling the memories of carnage on nameck to the dark silences before dawn. Except for Goku the man who had saved them all. He landed in the middle of the night far away from his home in the middle of a pasture. The sheep scattered as he stepped out in to the scorched earth feeing the heat still radiating from his pod. He raised his hand and fired at the pod adding his own heat and the smell of burning plastic to the ruined field. He watched the insignia melt and blacken. He fired a stronger blast not even a burnt out hull was left. Goku climbed out of the crater he made and left not stopping to look back until he was sure it was out of sight. He inhaled deeply thanking the cold night air for carrying away the burning antiseptic smells that seemed to fallow him like vengeful ghosts. Goku scanned the dark skies waiting for all the fears real and imagined to come true. He sighed when no flaming destruction rained down. He ran home quickly, hating the silence and dreading what might await him. A million different deaths ran through his head each driving him forward. A small smile broke out has he saw the small light Chi-Chi had always left out for him.  
  
Goku entered silently going up the familiar path to their room running his fingers over the walls and knickknacks, the accumulations of a lifetime, trying to convince himself it was real this time. The door to their room was cracked open radiating a reassuring glow. He peeked around the corner. She had fallen asleep reading the book still resting on her chest. Chi-Chi had left the window open despite the chill in the air, as she had always done when he was off training. He shut the window and placed her book on the nightstand. He kissed Chi-Chi on the forehead and she moved in her sleep and flung her arm over his side of the bed with a sleepy grunt. He thought climbing in to the bed and filling that empty embrace. After a long debate Goku decided to let her sleep and walked over to Gohan's room. He looked in lovingly at his son and smiled to see that he had fallen asleep at his desk. That sight made him the happiest. "Stay with your studies. Your mom knows best." He said in a hoarse whisper. Goku lifted his son in to bed. He wandered through the house looking for a place to rest finally he sat down in the kitchen hoping to get some rest before they woke up.  
  
The sun was barely touching the horizon when Chi-Chi's scream echoed through the house. Goku stood up smiling he greeted her in a voice that was ruff from neglect. More than a few kitchen utensils rebounded off the walls and off his body before she realized who the tall dirty man in armor was. Then she attacked him with tears, kisses and the usual demands to never scare her like that again. Gohan ran down the stairs, jumped and wrapped his arms around his father's neck. He demanded to know every part of the fight and how he had gotten back. Goku went silent, the smile dropped from his face. His eyes were full of a smoldering cold combination of fear and hate. He gave his son a vague description. Gohan stopped the next question before it could reach his lips. He had never seen that look in his father's eyes before it was freighting. "I missed you dad." Gohan smiled his gaze not quite meeting Goku's eyes.  
  
"You have grown up."  
  
"Not much, see." He pointed at the notches his mother had cut in the back door to mark his growth. Goku laughed at this and Gohan joined in even if he didn't understand why it was so funny. Their laughter dispelled the tension the unasked question had left. Chi-Chi smiled things were finally going to get back to normal and this time she was going to make sure they would stay that way.  
  
Chi-Chi was wrong. As the months flew by the changes in Goku's behavior became harder and harder to ignore. He was taking long walks alone and seemed to be pushing himself in training more than he ever had before. Chi- Chi began wondering if he hadn't managed to find another super-powered alien with a death wish for earth. It bothered her until she confronted him and asked him what was wrong with him.  
  
He stared at her. "There was noting I could do to save them." And went back to gazing up in to the sky. He kept watch for something that the no one could understand. It was shortly after that he stopped talking altogether. She screamed at him, held him and did every thing she could thing of to make him happy but nothing seemed to work. She gave up and stopped talking as well. The silence seemed to fill the house. Gohan was fallowing his parent's example. Chi-Chi masked herself in normalcy and tried to pretend there wasn't a problem for Gohan's sake. She was able to keep it up until she learned she was pregnant. Sobbing she called Bulma and over the next few hours and through bouts of tears she bared her soul.  
  
During her pregnancy Goku started to come back out of his shell. When Goten was born a few months later there was a huge improvement. Goku, years later, still wasn't completely back to normal but she didn't want him to be. He seemed to be in awe of the most normal things and he never left the house without telling her how much he loved her. When Bulma had discussed the vacation to visit the Namecks Chi-Chi had been leery of telling Goku. He had been standing in the doorway and herd the entire conversation and gave her a surprising yes. Chi-Chi through herself in to preparing for the trip. Goku showed more enthusiasm than either of his sons. The day of the launch arrived and the modified one-man ship stood open and ready. Goten refused to board the ship and screamed protests at the top of his lungs. Soon Trunks had joined him and they both screamed loud enough to split eardrums. They were halted when Vegeta picked his son up by the scruff of his neck and tossed him on board. Goten was shocked in to silence. He fallowed his parents in without another word. Goku and Chi- Chi chose seats in front of the window. They held hands as the last bit of atmosphere burned away and space unfolded before them vast and shining. 


	2. Strange vacation

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z Akira Toriyama and a bunch of other people that I can't think of off the top of my head do.  
  
Chapter 1 Strange vacation  
  
Bulma and Vegeta were not the most patient people and the cramped quarters were not helping. The fight started hours ago when Bulma was constructing a Namek-Go translator. She had been very embarrassed last time she had called up a toilet instead of seat belt. Vegeta walked up to her and told her son wanted lunch. She told him to leave her alone and pitch in on caring for Trunks. He called her invention a silly little toy and left telling Trunks to fix his own food. This was the last straw she started screaming at Vegeta.  
  
"He is your son too and you dam well better start taking care of him."  
  
"I am training him."  
  
"I am fed up with you and your stupid Neanderthal like attitudes. Get out of my sight." She shoved him hard and he let her bounce right off. "Now." Bulma said coldly. The finger she pointed at the door shook with fury. He turned and left leaving her exasperated and a hungry Trunks to deal with.  
  
In the room next door every one was doing there best to not to notice the banging coming from the deck. Goku was watching and smiling as Chi-Chi put the final touches on lunch. Gohan was helping Goten do a particularly tricky word problem. Piccolo had vanished again. Krillin was sitting near the window enjoying the temporary hush. He noticed something sparkling out of the corner of his eye. Krillin looked again and saw they had drifted in to a cloud of dust and debris. He sighed and muttered. "Of course I can't have a normal danger free vacation. I better go get Bulma, something tells me I would be happier floating out there with those rocks."  
  
Krillin pounds on Bulma's door. "Bulma, open the door it's Krillin." He could here her tossing things around and muttering. "I guess I'm going in. I hope she realizes it is me before she tosses a bunch of stuff at me again." He opened the door and flinched as a wrench crashed in to the wall inches away from his forehead. "Well at least she has bad aim."  
  
"At least Chi-Chi gets some help around the house sometimes. It is not like I ask for much." She says slamming her tools back in to there cases.  
  
"Bulma" she continues muttering paying no attention to Krillin.  
  
"But no you're a prince and to good to worry about how your wife and child feel. What kind of example is that for our son?"  
  
Krillin taped her on the shoulder only to find himself looking down the business end of a soldering iron.  
  
Bulma blinks and puts the tool away. "Sorry Krillin, What do you want."  
  
"We are flying in to a cloud of debris."  
  
"Don't worry if there was any danger the exterior censors would have picked it up long ago." She pointed to a wildly blinking screen and went back to taking out her anger on defenseless electronics.  
  
"Is it supposed to be flashing like that?" Krillin asks getting worried. She looks again and franticly flips switches on the display.  
  
"I didn't see it soon enough. It is too late to avoid and with this cloud the guidance system isn't going to be much help. It is going to take some luck to get out of this without serious damage." Krillin just sighed and shook his head. "I knew I should have just stayed in bed today."  
  
Krillin looked nervous has she desperately fiddled with the controls. Vegeta watched from the doorway. "She should have relied on my experience and not on her instruments. I practically grew up flying. Silly woman." Everyone in the other room was unnerved by the sudden silence, remembering Bulma's earlier threat to jettison any one that disturbed her. They all tried to ignore it until the ship started to pitch. Bulma worked fast but she could but there were too many of them and her reflexes were to slow. She looked frightened there was no way she could save them. She noticed Vegeta's reflection in the monitor. If anyone could move fast enough to get them out alive it was him.  
  
"Take the controls." She screamed at Vegeta has the floor shook and dull scraping noise rung thought the ship. Vegeta just stared at her showing her he wasn't at her beck and call. "Vegeta, take the controls now or we are all dead." He gave her a smirk started the maneuvering rockets. Everyone in the other room tried in vain to stop themselves from being thrown about.  
  
After ten minutes of being yanked in every possible direction the turbulence ends and everyone falls back to the floor. "I knew you could do it." Bulma gave him a sweet long kiss. Krillin chuckled, Vegeta glared at him. He started to smirk contemplating how far Krillin's head would skid if he tossed him. Krillin got the message and ran like the wind. "What did you do to him this time?" Bulma said shaking her head. He just smirked and looked at her. "Don't start that again." She ran a check hoping all systems would stay green. A red light started to flash on the control panel. "Please let it be something easy." Bulma thought. It was not good the exterior shield had been torn severing some of the main electrical lines and ripping one of the auxiliary batteries off. They were going to not have enough power to run life support in a few hours. There was absolutely no way to fix it unless they could land somewhere and even then she had her doubts. She scanned for the nearest inhabitable planet. "Lets see, that one could work, no, it has large man-eating worms. That one has no oxygen. That is a pretty tiny planet but I guess it will have to work " "We have to take a little detour. The ship is damaged."  
  
Vegeta leaned on the wall with his arms crossed staring blankly ahead. "Either help me set lading coordinates and make a damage report or go gloat somewhere else. I think Chi-Chi has finished lunch." She took a deep breath and stared at his retreating form. "I love you but you are the most arrogant jerk I have known." Bulma thought getting back to work.  
  
Vegeta walked out, wanting the fight to go on. Every time he felt her anger he remembered why he put up with her. He loved the challenge and she looked so much more alive when she was angry. It was one of the reasons he stayed around after his son's birth. Vegeta went in to the kitchen and saw the others were already at the table waiting for lunch. The only place to sit left was next to Krillin. He smiled has he saw Krillin scooting the chair over has far as it could go. Everyone watched Chi-Chi hungrily as she dished out piles of food. They ate in a blur of chopsticks and open mouths. "Goku chew with your mouth closed. Gohan use a napkin not your sleeve. What kind of example is that to set for your little brother?" Chi- Chi was forever trying to fix her families less then perfect table manners. Krillin grabbed the food has fast has he could, knowing that in a moment every thing would end up on the Saya-jin's plates. Chi-Chi sighed, over the last few years she has learned soon as she could sit down the food was gone, She eats her fill in the kitchen and watches the pots vary carefully so Goku can't eat it all before she can get it on the table. "Good thing I set aside a plate for Bulma. I doubt there will be any crumbs left." She thought picking up a tray from the counter.  
  
"Bulma, I have some lunch for you, Can I come in?" Bulma was sitting on the edge of the pilot's chair watching the flight path on the computer display. "Are you all right? I hate to here you and Vegeta arguing like that."  
  
"We have to land soon the ship is damaged. I don't know if I can fix it." She said pacing back and forth.  
  
"Why don't you eat, I am sure every thing will be fine. Where are we going to land?"  
  
"A tiny planet called with no real name. No recorded explorers or history just an empty little speck on the star charts. The damage is so severe if we don't land everything will shut down. I can only hope we have what it will take to fix it"  
  
"You have done more miraculous things in far worse situations." Chi-Chi patted Bulma's shoulder and sat her down. Bulma shook her head and started to eat. "How long do you think that luck can hold out?"  
  
"It wasn't luck. You will find a way to fix this." Chi-Chi said trying not to let Bulma's nervousness affect her.  
  
"But what if we get stuck there. I don't think our food will last us for very long. This is far too risky. It is all my fault if only I hadn't been messing around this would never had happened." Bulma shook her head hating the fact that now so many things were out of her control.  
  
"It isn't your fault it was an accident. Stop blaming your self. Lets just land we can deal with the rest as it happens"  
  
"I hope so." Bulma said sighing and poking absentmindedly at her food. 


	3. Surprising planet

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z Akira Toriyama and a bunch of other people that I can't think of off the top of my head do.  
  
Chapter 2: Surprising planet  
  
The ship rattled and shook as they dropped like a stone in to the planet's atmosphere. Bulma watched reentry glow as sparks and long flares of fire danced across the window. The landing was harsh the ship teetered on its landing gear and threatened to topple. Bulma held on to the rail in front of her so tightly her knuckles had gone white. The ship wobbled a bit more but then seemed to settle. The entire planet was covered with little grass-covered islands and deep blue sea. "Why did we land here? Where are we?" Krillin asked.  
  
"There is a problem with the ship, nothing I can't fix but we are going to be a little delayed. This planet doesn't have a name as far as I know." Bulma shrugged hoping the relaxed look on her face covered up for the nervousness in her voice.  
  
"Are there any people here?" Gohan asked looking around.  
  
"None that I know about." She replied holding her hand over her eyes as a shield from the strong midday sun. Gohan scanned for any signals of life but found nothing but some animals in the waters and the normal plant life. "I need some space to start on the repairs why don't you go out and explore. Krillin could you stay here and give me a hand?" Bulma said shooing them away. Vegeta scanned the horizon and pointed to a pointed to a spot far from the ship. Goku nodded and they both flew off. Gohan watched them fly away and almost backed in to Piccolo who was getting off the ship. He apologized and looked up at his mentor.  
  
"Piccolo-san how about we go to, I need a good work out." He looked down and noticed how much Gohan had grown.  
  
"Yea kid." They flew off to join the others.  
  
"Mommy can I go with Gohan?" Goten could not wait until he was older to train like his big brother.  
  
"And get yourself injured, I don't think so. Why don't you and Trunks go play? I am sure you will find something to do." Chi-Chi smoothed his hair and went to help Bulma and Krillin with the ship.   
  
She felt them land and shivered not wanting to admit her fear. "I can feel them. Four enormous powers, why are they here? I hope they don't find me. I should go hide. No that is c0wardly. Father would not be proud of me if I did that. Maybe the time has come for my revenge. If I am going to fight them and take their ship I might as well have a good meal." She pulled a two hundred-pound fish from the sea. Glad to have something other than her next battle to think about.  
  
"Gohan, concentrate you can do better than that." Piccolo shouted, easily dogging a barrage of kicks and punches. It was hard to tell just how much time had passed since they started. The sun seemed to stand still in the sky and it's rays beat down with more heat than they had when the ship landed. The land shimmered and clouds started to form in the humid air. Gohan found that the heat was making things far harder than normal. The thick hot air made him feel sluggish and the reflections in the water were far too easy to mistake for ki attacks. The heat was affecting his father as well.  
  
"Vegeta I am getting hungry lets head back."  
  
"Kakkarott you think with your stomach."  
  
Goku smiled and lazily replied. "You may be right."  
  
"Shut up and fight." Vegeta growled Goku was unshakeable. He simply smiled and went super sayan as easily as breathing. Vegeta felt the old anger bubbling up. He was the saya-jin prince, why did this third class nobody beat him to his heritage? Even now that the playing field was even he still felt cheated. Why shouldn't he? Kakkarott had done it first and nothing could change that. It almost made him glad that the rest of this race wasn't there to witness this. Sometimes he could not figure out why he put up with Kakkarott and all of earth's weak little people.  
  
Vegeta's stomach spoke reminding him how long ago he had eaten lunch. He clamed victory and turned to head back.  
  
"Do you guys smell fish?" Vegeta just stared at Goku with one eyebrow razed.  
  
"Maybe you are smelling mom's cooking?" Gohan suggested trying get back before this erupted in to another fight.  
  
"It is south of here. I am going to go find it" He looked so determined it made Vegeta laugh.  
  
"Kakkarott if there was any thing to smell I would smell it too."   
  
"You coming Vegeta?"  
  
He gave Goku a look filed with sarcastic pity and blasted off towards the ship without looking back. Goku was all ready floating gently along following his nose. Gohan decided that with his fathers knack for finding trouble he had better fallow and Piccolo had the same idea and came along as well.  
  
She turned the spit as the fish finished roasting. It looked delicious. "Here come three of them. I bet they are worn down after all that fighting. I wonder where the fourth one went. If I hide now I may just have a chance." She ducked behind the spit hideing most of her body. "I am such a stupid coward. I am strong I shouldn't be here."  
  
"I think I smell it too dad and I see smoke." Gohan looked at the ground blow him trying to find some proof that his father wasn't chasing some phantom.  
  
"Wow what a fish. It looks just like the ones at home." Goku said spotting the fire.  
  
"What is that hiding in the smoke?" Gohan was confused he went in for a closer look. His father stopped him from getting much closer. Gohan held back he had seen a light in his father's eyes that could be trouble later. That light was pure curiosity.  
  
"I will go see." Goku said as he landed and walked slowly towards her.  
  
"Be careful Dad." Gohan said wondering what they had gotten them selves in to this time.  
  
"I feel them there too close. The smoke should hide me. I will fallow them back to their ship and attack at night when the cold has gotten them. Then I will go back where I belong. From there I will get my revenge. I will be a fighter just like Father taught me. I will hunt down the ones that killed him."   
  
Goku landed on the island blowing part of her cover away. "Curse the wind they saw me. If I fire the first shot I might just have a chance." She fired a ki ball from the smoke that missed hitting any thing by a good foot.  
  
"It's ok I am not going to hurt you." Goku tried to get a closer look at what had fired at him.  
  
"Portus de bita." She growled, trying to keep him from blowing the smoke away.  
  
"Do you speak English?" He smiled at her and tried to sound calming. She charged from the smoke preparing another yellow ki ball.  
  
"Pourtus de bita." She screeched leaping at him. The ball shot from her hands and Goku let it hit him head on. The gust of wind from the impact knocked her back to the ground. When the dust settled he was unscathed and shocked to see who had attacked him. She was very small and her skin was blue-green. Two antennae stretched up from her forehead and twisted around in to compact spirals. She wore a threadbare blue jumpsuit with cracked and battered armor. It creaked a bit as she gulped down what ever air she could force in her lungs. Her hair was a long tangled mass of black that hung down her back and was tied back in a crude braid. There were streaks of soot and dust running across her face. Her dark eyes where wide with fear and anger. Her hands shook as she prepared another blast this one aimed at his head. "Pourtus de bita." She said glaring at Goku.  
  
Piccolo's eyes widened. "I know what she is saying. She has a strange accent but it is Nameck-go." Piccolo landed and stared at the little girl firing a blast at her feet. She dropped the ki and jumped back in fright as much from the sight of a nameck as the blast. Goku stepped back and Gohan landed beside him. They both looked at Piccolo and the girl wondering what he was going to do next.  
  
She tried to run but Piccolo caught her wrist. He lifted her up off the ground careful not to bring her too close. She glared at him and tried to twist herself free. "Why did you attack us?" She tried to kick her way out but her legs were to short to reach. "I am not going to leave until you answer my questions."  
  
"I need a ship. Are you going to kill me?" She said quietly in nameck-go. He didn't answer.  
  
"I am Piccolo, this is Gohan, and that is Goku. Who are you?"  
  
"I am Balla." She tried to avoid his black eyes.  
  
Gohan and Goku looked over at Piccolo expectantly. "She is Balla and she is wants our ship." Piccolo let her down but gripped her wrist harder. Balla knew she was going to have a bruise there at best. "Why do you need a ship?"  
  
"Are you solders from Emperor Cold?" Her eyes darted around and she franticly tried to free her hand. Balla tugged on Piccolo's hand and flailed her arm around not caring if she broke her wrist in the process. He grabbed her shoulder and forced her to stop. Piccolo glared at her wondering what kind of planet they had run in to. She had to be trouble to bring that name up.  
  
"How do you know Cold?" Balla couldn't look at him. Her entire body was screaming at her for her to run. She could here her own hart beating in her ears. Balla stood silent she could feel his grip tightening. It was only a dull ache now but if she didn't speak soon it would be much worse.  
  
"He rules the universe. You don't know him? I only attacked because I thought you were his men." She lied praying Piccolo wouldn't see right through her.  
  
"I am going to let go. Run if you want but I am fast." He released her and Balla fell back cradling her wrist. "That tall spiky haired one seemed to like my food. If I give it to him maybe they will leave me alone."  
  
"You can take my food. Let me go home." She said turning and looking at Goku. Piccolo stared at her, he wasn't about to let her go and get reinforcements. He scanned around seeing if he could feel anyone else he felt nothing but her and themselves. "But I didn't feel her until after she attacked." Piccolo reminded himself. She was weak but if more like her appeared there could be problems. He looked at her again and knew how to do it.  
  
"She is inviting us to dinner." Goku looked at the fish and his stomach growled. Gohan smiled knowing what his father wanted.  
  
"Dad we had better go tell mom. I bet she will be glad she doesn't have to cook." Gohan said starting to smile. He took off towards the ship. Goku looked back at them once and then went after his son. Piccolo stayed where he was watching the little girl carefully he had questions to ask. Balla had attacked them and he didn't want to let her get away and do it again. This could all be some kind of trick.  
  
"You know what kind of power we have." His speech was sharp and she knew what he wanted without having to say the rest. Balla exhaled and wished they all would just go back where they came from.  
  
It took less then three minutes to get back to the ship. Trunks and Goten were the first to see them arrive. They tossed their shovels down the hole they had been working on and ran over as Gohan and Goku were landing. Gohan reached down ruffled his brother's hair. "Where are you digging up this time?"  
  
"A burred treasure." Goten said looking at his brother like he would have to be crazy to dig for any thing else.  
  
"Well can you take a brake and go get mom for me?" Goten nodded and went inside with his ever-present shadow Trunks along for the ride. Chi-Chi came out with a scolding look on her face.  
  
"Goku did you really go looking for roasting fish on this uninhabited planet?"  
  
Gohan spoke before his father could answer. "We rely did find some Mom. There is a little girl living on the other side of this planet, she has invited us over for dinner." He glossed over just how they had met. His mother didn't need to hear that. It was probably just mistake of a frightened kid anyway.  
  
"Is she the only one living here?" Chi-Chi looked concerned.  
  
"We didn't ask. She only speaks nameck-go. Piccolo has to translate for us."  
  
"Bulma will be glad, this will give her a chance to test her new translator" Chi-Chi went around the side of the ship with a smile. "Finally some good news." She thought.  
  
Gohan bent down to talk to Trunks. "Where is your dad?"  
  
"He and Mommy were fighting again. He flew off some where." Gohan shook his head, this kind of thing happened all the time. Krillin and Bulma stepped out from the side of the ship looking tired and sweaty with tiny bits of debris clinging to their cloths. Bulma went inside and came out holding something that looked like a hands free telephone. Chi-Chi fallowed her out her arms were so full of food she could barley get out the door. She knew that the child could not possibly fix enough food. Goku picked up his wife as if she was as light has a feather, Gohan held Bulma. Krillin was left with the two filthy boys, who did not want to leave the hole they were digging. He sighed pulled them out by the waist. Trunks looked up and noticed that everyone else was gone. As soon has Krillin set them down they were off chasing after the rest of their families. Trunks was flying along and Goten was matching his pace running and leaping across the islands. Krillin brushed off most of the  
dirt and fallowed the boys. 


	4. Foolish words

Note: This chapter has not been proofread so there may be errors.  
Read the disclaimer on other chapters.  
  
Chapter 3: Foolish words  
  
They landed on her island unsure of how to approach her. Balla looked up from cooking. There was a strong discipline to her features and in her rigid posture. She could feel her hart hammering away in her chest as they approached. Piccolo glaring at her had been bad but at least she could keep her back to him now she was surrounded. "Dew rep martu thakisy te able miter mi." She said trying to stop shaking.   
  
"She says we are welcomed to eat with her" Piccolo said narrowing his eyes at her. She flinched at his voice without even realizing it.   
  
Bulma smiled and tried to calm the little girl. Her eyes were still darting wildly when Bulma bent down and spoke to her. "Here take it. It's a translator, it will allow us to understand you." Balla blinked at her not able to understand the heavily accented gibberish. Bulma tried to pantomime what she wanted and only gained more curious looks from Balla. Bulma finality put the translator on her self and turned it on. She tried to say hello to Balla when the translator stared to screech. Balla backed away covering her ears trying to escape the sound. Bulma readjusted the output and tried to speak to her. Balla wouldn't listen to her and kept backing up until she ran in to Piccolo. He stared at her and she froze in her tracks and allowed Bulma to place the translator on her and turn it on. "Go on try it out." Bulma smiled at her.   
  
Balla looked shocked the words were still heavily accented but they made sense. "You can speak like me?"   
  
"No." Bulma said "That thing on your ear is translating what I say so it makes sense to you."  
  
"Th-Thank you lady blue hair." Bulma smiled at Balla's unique way of addressing her. Balla's eyes went wide. She had never heard her own voice sound so strange. The tones were gentle, high and light not at all like her sometimes deep and ruff namcken and the accent was very odd. Balla laughed it was a, hi tinkling sound. She caught her self mid laugh and frowned clutching her ears. "Come eat I cooked it my self." She could hardly believe she was the one speaking.   
  
The fish was the size of a small whale and no one could identify it. Chi-Chi was amazed maybe all the food she brought wasn't necessary, but at least the paper plates, napkins and silverware were. Everyone sat down around the fire. Balla put a small slab of fish on each plate, bowed to them and said eat in peace. She stepped back with out taking any for herself and stood stiffly with her hands clasped behind her back. No one moved for a minute trying to understand what she was waiting for. Goku's stomach growled impatiently. He examined the food on his plate deciding whether to ask for more or not. He downed it in one gulp and smiled. "Do you wish to have any more Goku?" She stepped up to him taking his plate in slightly shaky hands. Please, Please let him be happy. Please let him just go away. She thought swaying nervously.  
  
"No thanks that filled me right up." Balla exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding and went back to her space out side the ring of people. It was incredibly strange to see Goku turn down food. Especially when it was one of his favorites. Everyone wondered what could be so bad that Goku's iron stomach couldn't handle it. Chi-Chi took a tiny taste and discovered apart from being slightly burnt, salty and a bit bitter it was tasty and very filling. She decided to get another bite and her elbow hit her water glass knocking it off it's perch. Balla ran like lighting caught it with her brown saya-jin tail. Balla handed the glass back to her.   
  
Chi-Chi poked at her tail and Balla frowned at her. "Where did you get that?" Chi-Chi asked.  
  
"I was born with it." Balla said trying to figure out what she was going to do next.   
  
"So you're a Saya-jin?" Chi-Chi said not really believing it.  
  
"My father was. How do you know of the Saya-jin?" Balla was shocked first a nameck and now this woman knew of her father's people. "What kind of people are these?" She frowned it seemed like the situation was going from bad to worse.   
  
"My husband is one" Balla examined Goku from head to toe. Goku didn't seem to mind it. He stood and turned around giving her a better look. She looked at him sideways trying to see any thing she may have missed. "Is that woman trying to make a fool out of me? That man is no more sayen than the blue haired woman is." She thought.  
  
"You can't be. A real Saya-jin would never dishonor himself by hiding his tail." Balla blurted out forgetting her manners. She clasped a hand to her mouth and stepped back. "He is going to kill me now for sure. At least my family will be waiting for me." She stood waiting for him to strike her for the insult.  
  
"I am one. I am not hiding my tail. It was removed when I was just a child." He said it like it was nothing. That made Balla frightened again. What kind of man could speak of that crime so lightly?  
  
"I hope you had your revenge." She said with a look shock and repulsion. Balla touched her own tail, which was brisling.   
  
"How did you cook that fish?" Chi-Chi tried to take Balla's mind off of tails.   
  
"I pulled it from the water, cleaned it, rubbed bean paste in to it and cooked it. My grandfather taught me to how cook." She said with a hint of pride in her voice.   
  
"What kind of beans were they?"   
  
"Ajisa brought from my home."   
  
"I don't think I have ever herd of those. Could you show me them?" Balla nodded and went to the far side of the little island. She returned with a threadbare sack that seemed to be made of a decaying fabric patched with unfamiliar plant fibers. She opened the small bag and showed Chi-Chi the slightly wrinkled brown beans.   
  
"This is almost a full crop. The bushes don't give as much as they used to. They don't like the cold"   
  
Chi-Chi held a bean up. "These are senzu beans. Where did they come from?"   
  
"Nowhere until my ship crashed." Everyone stopped talking and listened to hear if she would say any more. Balla stared in to the core of the fire, willing her emotions to stop and the tears waiting in her eyes to evaporate. It was stupid to cry about something that you couldn't change. Besides it was none of their business anyway.  
  
"Are there any other Saya-jin are left?" She asked trying to draw attention away from her self.   
  
"My husband Goku our sons Gohan and Goten. There is Bulma's husband Vegeta and their son trunks"   
  
"The Prince here?" She muttered to herself.  
  
"Yes, But he flew off some where. Did you know him?" Chi-Chi answered looking curiously at Balla. Her rage grew and clouded her fear. Balla ripped off the translator and let it drop to the ground. She blasted up in the sky not caring what happened to her when she landed. Gohan was curious got up to fallow her but Goku laid a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.   
  
"This is between her and Vegeta." Goku had recognized the fire that had sprung up in Balla. A low rumble started in the sky as ki crackled around her. The rumble died down and deep guttural scream replaced it. Balla was cursing Vegeta's name with every namecken and Saya-jin cuss word she knew. She was calling him out. Gohan looked up at and her wondered what she was trying to accomplish. Balla landed the rage had burned off a little and she had just realized that he was going to die very painfully. She felt a power flare up suddenly in the west he had herd her and was coming. Balla had to get herself out of there quick. The sun was going down and soon the cold would get her then she would be a sitting duck. She started to run as fast as she could ignoring the chorus of angry and confused voices around the fire only looking back after she was on the next island to her horror she saw Piccolo behind her caching up fast.  
  
Balla ran as fast as she could but Piccolo was faster and caught her like she was standing still. "What are you? How do you know Vegeta?"   
  
"Let me go. He is coming." When he didn't respond Balla swallowed her pride and pleaded with him. "It doesn't matter. Let me go night is coming and he will catch me then."   
  
"You are going to tell me what is going on if we have to stand here all night."   
  
If she didn't tell him what happened quick Vegeta would find her. "It is a vary long tale. Is your ship strong and warm?"   
  
"It is but why should I take you there?"   
  
"The nights here are bad the whole world is coved in ice and the cold eats away at things." She was scanning the sky looking for impending death.   
  
"Our ship is damaged that is why we had to land here. I don't know if it is repaired yet. How do I know you aren't making this up and have some of your friends waiting to ambush us?"   
  
"I am the only one here my parents are dead Vegeta killed them. I have to get out of here. Take me to your ship."  
  
That explains the shouting and the running. He thought releasing her "It is not my ship it is Bulma's ask her." Balla ran back to the fire the sun was setting she didn't have much time. She ran back to Bulma's side and put the translator back on.   
  
"Lady Bulma may I please get on your ship. Piccolo wants me to talk to him and the sun is going down it will be cold soon." And I am afraid your man is going to kill me she added silently.   
  
"The part of the electrical system is broken. I don't know if the heat will work."  
  
"I can give you all the energy you will need for tonight. Please let me get on board your ship. It is going to get very cold soon and every thing will ice over." Balla fell to her knees pleading with Bulma.  
  
Bulma thought Balla had to be exaggerating. "How have you survived here?"   
  
"I have lived here for a long time. I am stronger than the cold. Will you take me to your ship?" She begged her shaking fingers brushing Bulma's leg.   
  
Bulma shook her head the child was almost hysterical. It was better to just let her come with them and hopefully she would calm down some. "Do you have any thing you need to bring?"  
  
"This is all I have." She held her sack like it was a sacred relic. Bulma couldn't help but think how pitiful that was. She was really starting to wonder what had happened to the child to leave her in this state. Krillin looked over at Balla, He had never see a more scared and skittish person in his life it was rather sad. He decided to try to make her calm down a bit. Balla felt his eyes on her back. She turned around to see him making fish lips and crossing his eyes. She watched him confused and mimicked the expression hoping it was some kind of greeting. Goku watched and started to laugh. Chi-Chi sighed smiling Goku was just like another kid sometimes. Vegeta watched the whole thing perched on the edge of the island. He was mildly surprised to see the girl kneeling near his wife. He knew as soon as he saw her that she had to be the one yelling from earlier. "Stupid Kakkarott, why do you hang around with these morons? What are you going to do with that trouble-making bastard? She shakes with fear, as she should. I should have sent her to hell with her traitorous father. Stupid thing I don't except changes from the weak. " Balla felt his eyes on her. She stared straight ahead with cold focused eyes. She glared at him with all the anger she had inside of her. She wanted to speak but it was taking all her willpower not to run from his sight. Balla knew his power and was afraid. She imagined how horribly he was going to kill her where she stood. She shivered as his eyes continued to drill in to her. Balla desperately wanted to run away and find some place to hide. She turned to leave only to see Piccolo watching her out of the corner of his eye. She was trapped and there was nothing she could do about it. These people were so much stronger than she was. Trunks and Goten almost ran her over. They could have cared less what was happing around them. They were off on there own little world. The last of the food was put away and every one prepared to go. Bulma was worried about how the little girl was going to power the ship. Vegeta walked over to take Bulma back. He smiled when Balla cringed and tried to hide her face as they past. Balla let out a sigh relieved and confused. Why didn't he kill me? I offended him and he let me live. Does he have something else planed for me?  
  
Balla picked up the bag of senzu beans. She was defiantly going to need them tonight. Balla waited for a few minutes before powering up to fly. Goku watched her wondering why she was so afraid. She blasted off like a rocket leaving a muted yellow tail of ki. Balla knew she should conserve energy but her fear of Vegeta had made her embarrassed and angry. Now all she wanted to do was run from this place and leave them all for the cold. The night was going to be long and hard and she wasn't going to get any rest. If she didn't focus she could end up dead and if she survived Vegeta might kill her as soon as her power was no longer needed. Either way she was probably never going to see the light of day again.   
  
The ship was the largest ship she had ever seen. Her mouth hung open it was hard to believe that something that big could even move on it's own. Balla started to regret ever seeing those strange people. Bulma was waiting for her just inside the hatch. Balla pushed her doubts aside and put on a brave mask. "Where is the engine?"   
  
"Follow me." They walked along through the cool hallways in silence until Balla felt brave enough to ask a question.  
  
"How did Goku's lady know about the Nameck's sacred plant?"  
  
The question stopped Bulma cold. She answered the best way she knew how. "A friend of ours grows them on a planet far from here. Why do you speak nameck-go and know so much about them?"   
  
"My Grandfather was a Namek-jin." This really confused Bulma. There was no way this child could have known all the nameck-go she knew if that wasn't true but there was no way she could be related to a nameck. It was physically imposable. Bulma guessed that perhaps one had adopted this child before she ended up here.   
  
"Here it is." The room was small by their standards with white rounded walls. There were control panels and consoles jutting out from the walls. The air smelled faintly of burnt plastic and electricity. Most of the consoles were far larger than Balla herself and they made her feel rather nervous.   
  
"Do you have lines that take power in to the ship?" She said trying to forget how large the room was. Do I even have enough power to run this huge place?   
  
"You mean wires to the ship's electrical system?" Bulma handed her the lines and was rather curious to see what the girl did with them.   
  
Balla grabbed the wires surprised that they were almost as thick as her fingers. "I need to hold the ends and have silence while I find my way." She took one in each hand and let power wash over them. The pail yellow glow grew and covered each piece of equipment as she entered the system. Every one was standing in the doorway watching except for Vegeta who Balla happily noticed was missing. Balla's eyes glazed over as she felt her way through the power system. It was far larger than she expected and she got lost in the complex interconnections. It was far harder to move about in than her pod the very system seemed to be trying to purge her from it. Balla was franticly trying to find her way out when she felt the skin on the back of her neck twitch. She calmed her self and retraced her steps finally finding the way out. "Bulma, could you plug these in. I can't see the ports."   
  
She handed Bulma the lines and lifted her braid up. "Plug them in where?" Bulma said not knowing where to look.   
  
"In the back of my neck." Balla said pointing near the wounds that had appeared just below the hairline.   
  
Bulma's eyes widened she had never heard of any one doing that before. "You are going to be the battery?"   
  
"Yes." Bulma shook her head and inserted the wires in to her neck. Balla set Burma's translator on the ground. Bulma stepped back as Balla started to power up. A ball of crackling yellow white ki surrounded her and fed in to the ship. The ball faded away in to the generator. They could all feel the vibrations of the ship coming to life around them. She could feel a searing pain as the power left her it felt like the ship was trying to swallow her whole. Balla teetered back and forth almost falling but she managed put some senzu in her mouth and start chewing. She closed her eyes and thought. "I am so weak. The eldest child could kill me without much effort. How am I ever going to get my revenge?" Bulma handed her the translator and Balla turned it on herself. "I will probably have to do that every three hours."   
  
"Are you all right?" Chi-Chi was very upset by the entire thing. She had never seen someone eat more than one senzu at a time. The girls clothing was smoking a little and it looked like she was tired.   
  
"I will be fine, no worries Goku's lady."   
  
"Call me Chi-Chi." She smiled warmly at Balla. Balla looked up at her realizing that she was the only person that she had met today that didn't set her on edge.   
  
"How did you do that?" Gohan's mouth was still open slightly.   
  
"My grandmother taught me. I used it to power my pod."  
Goten and Trunks looked at her. Trunks whispered something in to Goten's ear and they both started to laugh. Balla glared at them. "Strange boys I don't know why they think I am a bunny. What ever that is."  
  
Piccolo looked at her and spoke in nameck-go. "You still have a questions to answer." Balla looked at the floor she wished that he had left with Vegeta. 


End file.
